Oil palm cultivation in the Amazon will be the topic of debate at the Lide Brazil Conference

The Lide Brazil Conference brings together authorities and business leaders from Brazil and Europe in London this Thursday and Friday
April 18, 2023
Aerial view of oil palm plantations in grupo BBF

The cultivation of oil palm in the Amazon will be one of the themes addressed by guests at the Lide Brazil Conference, an event that will bring together business leaders and government leaders from Brazil and Europe, in London, this Thursday (20/4) and Friday (21/4).

On Friday, the CEO of the Brasil BioFuels Group (BBF), Milton Steagall, will take part in the panel Agribusiness: Brazil's strength for the world's food security.

Currently, less than 200,000 hectares are cultivated by a small number of people operating in the states of Pará and Roraima.

Since oil palm cultivation cannot be mechanized, the work of the man in the field is essential and generates thousands of jobs and income in the region.

According to Grupo BBF, oil palm cultivation recovers degraded areas of the Amazon rainforest and has a high carbon capture potential.

According to Steagall, palm oil is the most widely consumed oil by humankind and is present in various foods and hygiene and beauty items, as well as being fundamental to Brazil's energy transition.

"It is the main raw material for the development of the unprecedented Green Diesel (HVO) and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) biofuels, which Grupo BBF will produce from the end of 2025. Unfortunately, Brazil still has to import large volumes of palm oil from Asian countries: around 30% of the total volume for the domestic market comes from other countries, according to 2022 data from the Ministry of Economy's Foreign Trade Secretariat," he said.

The speakers' perspectives on the actions to reinforce the development of Sustainable Agribusiness in the Amazon, a needy region with more than 30 million inhabitants, will be debated.

Grupo BBF is the largest producer of palm oil in Latin America, with more than 75,000 hectares under cultivation, producing around 200,000 tons of oil a year.

"BBF has created an integrated business model in which it operates from the beginning to the end of the value chain - from sustainable oil palm cultivation, crude oil extraction, biofuel production, biotechnology and renewable energy generation - with assets totaling around R$2.1 billion and activities generating more than 6,000 direct jobs in the northern region of Brazil," BBF said.

 

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